


I Hope You Like Chateau Briand

by Greenleaf66



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-04-29 07:15:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14467659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greenleaf66/pseuds/Greenleaf66
Summary: An alternate ending for last week's TV episode





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I was going to do this as a one-shot stand-alone just with one chapter, but Rainey657 got me thinking, and I thought, hey, why not give it a shot and tie it up. So I did, hope you guys like it. Now added two more chapters, with two more to come. this particular story will be wrapped up by Friday night/Saturday at the latest (want to get it up before the new episode next week).
> 
> Let's just say I took a slightly alternative version of the story than TV canon. Wish fulfilment for me!
> 
>  
> 
> DISCLAIMER: These characters belong to their creators, I’m just borrowing them……..for a bit of tweaking……….

“I hope you like Chateau Briand,” he said as he held out her chair and lifted the cloche that covered her steak, steam rising from the dish and filling the air with a delicious aroma.

He noted the look of appreciation and surprise on her face and the soft smile she gave him…….

“Why are you doing this, Lucifer? Why now?--”

“Because I wanted to show you that you could do so much better than Pierce! You deserve more, you deserve someone who really loves you – and he isn’t it!”

“Then who is?” she asked quietly. “Who ‘deserves’ me? Who?”

“Father knows that I don’t,” he muttered almost to himself, though Chloe heard him and a stab of sadness went through her. He really is damaged, she thought to herself, waiting for him to answer her. 

He just had to say it. That was all. And it wasn’t until this very moment that she realized how much she still wanted him to. Despite all the distance between them now, despite the fact that she was truly attracted to Marcus. They were nothing alike, any two men could not, in fact, be more different. Marcus was romantic and thoughtful, while Lucifer was most definitely not (though he could be sweet in his own odd way, she had to give him that).

“I’m not good enough for you,” he finally said. He saw her eyes filling with tears and before his brain could process the thought, he heard himself nearly shout, “But I love you! I didn’t, I mean, it was…….I never thought of it that way…….this feeling…..It, I mean, I didn’t know until I saw you that morning…….when I knew you’d been with him. It was the most horrible feeling I’ve ever experienced……..”

She was crying now, the tears overflowing onto her cheeks, yet she was calm and measured. 

“I made it clear to you, Lucifer, as clear as I could that I wanted to be more than your friend……….and you ran away. When you came back married to someone else, well, that pretty much told me everything……that there wasn’t really a chance any more……….so I moved on. I thought that’s what you wanted.”

Lucifer was pacing, obviously conflicted, the look on his face one of agony and desperation. When he stopped his pacing and stared at her, his heart ached as he saw her face, tears streaming down. She was staring at the floor.

“You can’t have it both ways,” her voice was almost a whisper.

It took only a moment for him to decide. It was now or never and he knew it with as certain a realization as any he had ever had.

He took a deep breath. “Chloe, my love, please look at me…….”

Whatever Chloe thought she would see when she looked up, it certainly was not the pair of gorgeous white wings protruding from Lucifer’s back, held still in the candlelight, the flickering light reflecting off them………

The first thought in her mind was that she must be hallucinating, that whatever ‘mojo’ it was that he used with people was finally working on her.

But she knew that wasn’t true.

He was looking at her, his expression guarded and unreadable. He seemed startled, for a brief moment, when she stood up. Her eyes were still welling with tears, but she had a small smile as she approached.

Lucifer had not expected that. It was all he could muster to not take a step back as she approached.

“I have to touch them,” she whispered. “I have to be sure it’s real……”

At his nod, she reached a hand over his left shoulder and stroked the soft white feathers. He closed his eyes at the intimacy of it. No one had ever touched his wings. At least no human, not even Linda (though he knew how much she had wanted to).

He watched Chloe’s face as her fingers stroked the soft feathers. She didn’t seem alarmed in any way, her face was curious, the face of the detective in her. He could almost see the thoughts passing in furious speed as her rational mind accepted the reality of what her eyes knew simply could not be real.

And yet was.

When she looked up at him, he was smiling at her, though it was a nervous smile.

“You’ve been telling me the truth. Since Day One……….” It was a simple statement, but Lucifer felt his heart pounding. He did not want to speak, so he simply nodded.

“I don’t know what to say,” she began, then almost without thinking raised a hand to his cheek. “Why didn’t you just show me?” she said softly. He felt a pang at the words, not wanting to admit what he knew now was actual terror at her potential reaction – that she would withdraw from him, that she would look at him with horror and loathing. That he would see hatred in her eyes. Those beautiful eyes…….Then he remembered. She was looking at his angelic form, not his devil form, as poor Linda had done. 

Of course she would not be afraid of an angel. (The fact that he wasn’t one in his own mind was rather beside the point. He gave himself an inward rueful smile as he willed the wings to vanish.)

Chloe started giggling, she couldn’t help herself. The most self-assured, outrageously cocky and narcissistic person she had ever met, was standing before her with great bloody wings (not even noticing that her mind framed the words as he would have).

“I AM the devil, Chloe,” his voice was quiet and far more gentle than the turmoil he felt within. “I fell from heaven, well, cast out really by some of my angelic brethren, for daring to ask my Dad questions he didn’t want to answer. To make a very long story very short, I ruled Hell for millennia……..and then I quit and came topside……..”

The buzz from her phone almost went unnoticed, until Lucifer nodded towards her jacket pocket.

“It’s Pierce,” she whispered, “I was supposed to meet him for dinner….” As she took the call, she noted the look of almost panic on Lucifer’s face.

“Hi Marcus. Look, before you say anything. I can’t make it for dinner. Something important has come up. We’ll talk tomorrow.” And she hung up before he could say more than her name, smiling at the relief on her partner’s face.

“Now, start talking, mister. And this time,” she leveled what she thought was her sternest gaze “don’t leave anything out….”

_________

“There’s more,” he said quietly, taking her hand and leading her to the couch, their now-cold meal long forgotten. He had told her as much as he could, not in any particular order, but about his brother and Maze, and confirmed some of the times she had observed those strange things that always seemed to stick in her mind, but there was one thing bothering him more than anything and he had to get it out, to convince her. He took a deep breath.

“You’re in danger, terrible danger……and I’m afraid it’s all my fault……..” His voice faded to a near-whisper, “it’s about Pierce.”

“What about him? And all of it, Lucifer, I want all of it--” 

“The other day, I told you who he was……I mean IS. He is Cain, the first murderer, condemned by my father to wander the earth alone for all eternity.”

She made as if to say something, but Lucifer continued.

“It’s about you, my dear. And me. Well, really, all of it--” And he told her of the circumstances of her birth, of the fact that he could be injured, even killed, when in her presence. Her questions were fast and logical (he smiled to himself as her detective persona could not help asserting itself).

“But, when Jimmy Barnes shot me – I heard him firing, I saw you flinch when the bullets hit you…….I thought I was hallucinating. You weren’t injured then, so when did it change?”

“I don’t know which came first, when you started to care for me…..or when I started to care for you--”

“Wait, what?” Her mind suddenly went back to the airport hangar, to Malcolm. And the blood, so much of it, spread across the floor in a terrifying pool, soaking the shirt that Lucifer wore (“I thought he killed you.” “He did, but I got better.”)

“You died in that hangar! Malcolm, he…..he killed you……” Her voice trailed away as the tears came again.

Lucifer put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “Yes, and I went back to Hell.”

“So how did you, um, you know, get back?”

“I made a deal with Father, that I would do anything he asked of me in return for a favour.”

“A favour? What favour?”

“That he would protect you, that he would save you. And he sent me back.”

Oh God, oh God, oh God. (Yes, that one.) “You knew you could die. Yet you followed me anyway…..”

“I had to try and protect you. Malcolm was going to kill you,” he said quietly.

“So you let him kill you, instead…….” The knowledge that he had done this for her was almost too much to bear. “You loved me then,” she said, looking up at him in wonder.

“Yes, and I wanted to tell you everything. But I had a task to perform……” and he told her about Charlotte Richards being occupied by the celestial force of his mother, the photograph, his doubts, why he ran after her poisoning, why he pushed her away. His desire to give her back her free will and protect her from himself. About sending his mother into a new universe……

He spoke until he was nearly breathless, but somehow this time it all made sense. (OK, now I know I’m going insane, she thought, because this makes sense……oh, shit, this is going to take some time to process!)

Lucifer had walked over to the table he’d had Lux’s staff set up for them. She had arrived just after 6:00 and it was now well past 10:00. The wine was warm and the food ice cold.

Chloe realized she was ravenously hungry and said as much. Lucifer grinned at her. “Why don’t I just heat this all up in the oven. No sense in starving while we talk,” he wiggled an eyebrow at her, “This champagne has gone completely flat, but I think I can find another bottle somewhere…..”

Chloe excused herself to use the facilities as Lucifer reheated their meal. As she washed her hands she looked at herself in the mirror and actually pinched herself, giving a little ‘ow’ at the sting. Nope. Not dreaming. And definitely not hallucinating. She stood there for a moment, realizing that she hadn’t even taken her jacket off. She did so and ran a quick hand through her hair, thinking how odd it was that it wasn’t standing completely on end by this point. Life was going to be different now, no doubt about that. Just how it would be different she could not even begin to guess.

But it was a turning point, a major one, for both of them.

_____

They ate the reheated meal nearly in silence. It was still delicious, the steak rare and succulent and the steamed veggies still crisp, despite sitting cold for hours. She nodded as he cracked a new bottle of champagne, poured them each a glass and set the bottle into the silver ice bucket.

She broke the silence first. “I still don’t understand what all this has got to do with Marcus, I mean, Cain?” she was genuinely puzzled.

“My Father gave him a mark, on his arm where that tattoo was, a brand, if you will, to identify him, the mark that makes him immortal. He’s apparently been watching me for years, maybe even the whole time I’ve been on earth this time…..he’s been watching all of us.

“He’s known all along who I am. When I figured out who he was, he told me what he wanted. To die. To finally die. And for me to kill him. Which is rather ridiculous when you think about it….I mean, he’s most definitely going to Hell because I’m certain that Father won’t allow him in the Silver City……..I know Hell and trust me, my dear detective, the earth realm has a lot more going for it than that dreary place.

“Anyway, I gave my word that I would figure out how to help him die, you know, another way of shooting the finger at Dear Old Dad….

“But it put you in danger, in real danger.” (While I was off buggering around and enjoying myself.) He had a wistful look on his face

“When he took that bullet for you, he had called the shooter himself to set it up. He figured that if I could die when you were around, then so could he……..”

“But he didn’t die.”

“No. It wasn’t enough and it wasn’t just being near you……so he came up with a new plan.”

Chloe knew where this was going and felt the anger rising within her, as Lucifer continued. “His new plan was to make you fall in love with him. He figured, you see, that it is your love that is the key--”

Before he could finish, Chloe was on her feet. He had never heard her swear before, but she was swearing now. “That rat BASTARD! What kind of a fucking jerk asshole would do that to another person? I’ll fucking kill him myself!!! That selfish, rotten son of a bitch!--”

Her tirade was halted by Lucifer grabbing both her hands in his as she waved them about to make her point. “Calm yourself, please, detective!”

He waited a moment until she stopped, her mouth set in a hard and furious line, a little furrow appearing mid-brow as she scowled.

“After Pierce dumped you the other day, I dropped in, do you remember that? You were on the couch, crying…….” She nodded.

“I went straight over to his place because I wanted to kill him then and there and I was going to – because he hurt you. But I noticed something. His mark is gone. The mark of Cain, it’s vanished……he can die now. That’s when I knew that you had fallen for him, that’s why I had to tell you tonight before you had a chance to see him--” Her mouth was open, but he continued.

“When you shoved the case file at me and left, I had a paper cut – and it bled, and well, I thought maybe there was a chance that you weren’t completely under his spell, that maybe you still had some feelings for me, that there was a chance – even a small one – that things could be right between us….”

She could hear the pain in his voice and almost without thinking pulled him into a tight hug. “You’re a total idiot,” she said against his shoulder, then pulling back to look up at him, “None of this needed to happen, none of it, you stupid ass, if only you’d just SHOWN me! Made me believe it, like you’re doing tonight. Why did you wait so long? Why did you let me think you were a jerk or, worse, completely insane? How could you not let me know what was going on, because I’m in the middle of it!

“And you hurt me, Lucifer. Pushing me away, behaving like an asshole, acting like a spoiled and selfish child………We could have had all this time……..” Her eyes filled with tears again and Lucifer cringed at the truth of what she was saying, and the fact that he was still hurting her. The one thing he never wanted to do, yet somehow some way always managed to……..

“I thought you would hate me if you knew the truth, that you wouldn’t want anything to do with me, that we couldn’t keep working together……..I just wanted to be near you. You’re the reason I stay……..”

“That’s what Maze said at the precinct, she looked at me and said ‘you’re the reason he won’t take me home’ – she meant Hell, didn’t she?”

Lucifer nodded.

“She also told me that you would never change, that you couldn’t change, that you would always be, well, the way you are…….” Then the realization hit her.

“And she’s the one who told me that Marcus was sorry he’d hurt me……….”

“WHAT?”

“It’s why I agreed to have dinner with him. Maze said she went over to kick his ass for hurting me. But………how did she KNOW?”

“You’re not going to like the answer to that, I’m afraid.”

He stared at her for a moment. “I think Maze is working with him in this little plot. You love him, so she kills him and then pins the whole thing on me. Trust me, she can be pretty conniving when she’s after something. There’s no death penalty in California (not that it would work on me unless you were there), so to get out of spending life in prison for murdering a police lieutenant, well, I’d have to leave the earth and take her with me back to Hell…….”

Chloe let this sink in for a minute, suddenly stabbed by the thought that Maze might actually harm Trixie, and breathing a sigh of relief that the child was with her father for the weekend.

“Well, now that I know what’s what – and, trust me, you’re not getting a free pass on telling me the rest,” she said sternly, “you and I are going to figure out how to stop them. There has to be a way.” He smiled at the certainty in her expression, which softened as she looked at him, handing him her glass for a refill.

“Whatever we have to do, partner, we’ll figure it out together.” 

He was grinning as he clinked his glass to hers. She was wonderful. And she loved him. 

Of that, he was finally sure.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, at a suggestion from Rainey657 in the comments on Chapter 1, my mind just went haywire and I found a few more chapters just lurking in there. I hope you like them. Comments welcome.

“You can’t tell him that you know about me.” Lucifer looked at her over the edge of the champagne flute. They were now on the second bottle of a truly fine Krug.

“I know that, Lucifer,” she smiled at him, her head beginning to feel the effects of the expensive bubbly. “But the relationship is definitely over! I’ll talk to him at the station on Monday, no sense in drawing it out,” Lucifer saw the involuntary shudder and quirked an eyebrow at her.

Chloe was doing a decent impression of a Maze snarl as she said, “I can’t believe I had sex with him, eww,” a look of disgust on her face. 

“Hey, but at least I’ll get to practise my other set of skills, the ones I got from my mom – maybe all those acting classes turned out to be for an actual GOOD reason.” And she laughed.

Lucifer liked the sound of her laughter. He would deal with Cain, with her help. 

Then there was the matter of Mazikeen. It stung him how badly her betrayal hurt. He had never truly realized how intense her desire had become to return to the infernal realm (and no doubt drag him back with her). And that made her especially dangerous. More than anyone, he had reason to know just how dangerous.

Then a thought occurred that set his mind racing. At the look on his face, Chloe reached across the table and grabbed his hand. “What? What is that look for?”

“Are you a good enough actress to convince Pierce you still have feelings for him?” 

“Well, you’ve seen my one and only movie, what do you think?”

Lucifer suddenly looked away. “Um, when I, uh, saw it, …….I wasn’t exactly paying attention to the dialogue…..” He wouldn’t meet her eyes for a moment, then looked up with a playful light dancing in his own, “I was, um, ‘distracted’ by your beauty……”

She punched him in the arm, it suddenly occurring to her what he meant.

“You are incorrigible, you really are.” She could feel a blush crawling up to her cheeks.

He tried hard to look contrite but he was chuckling. “Sorry,” he laughed, taking a sip of the Krug.

“As to your question,” she brought him back from wherever his mind had wandered, and the dark look of lust he gave her told her exactly where that was, “why would I want to do that? I’m not exactly going to be dating him, am I? He dumped me after all. And he’s certainly NEVER going to get the chance to touch me again!”

Lucifer smiled at her, but his eyes were serious.

“There’s a chance, you know, that his mark will return now that you no longer have warm feelings for him.” She noted he would not say the L word. “It might be wise to play it up a little bit, pretend to need some more time to think, you know, string him along. That might throw him off for a bit….I suspect he’ll be trying his best to woo you back--”

“I’ve made up my mind already,” she said.

“I know that,” he answered softly, removing her hand and getting up from his chair. She had chosen him, and it thrilled him. He walked over to the lift, which still stood open, and turned a key beneath the call button.

“I don’t think I want us to be disturbed tonight,” he said quietly, surprised to find her nearly right behind him when he turned around.

She was grinning at him.

_________

Her phone began ringing early the next morning. It was a Saturday. And she did not want to get out of bed.

Lucifer woke up to the buzzing sound, knowing who it was, silently cursing to himself. Bloody bad timing, as usual, you dismal prat. 

He reached for Chloe, but she had squirmed out of his grasp, grabbing the black silk robe that hung over the near bedpost as she slipped into the living room to get her phone.

Pierce’s name was on the screen. She took the phone into the bedroom with her, but didn’t answer. 

Lucifer was lying on his back, arm stretched out beside him across the empty spot she had vacated. What the hell, she laughed as she turned the phone off, I’ll deal with Pierce (no, not Pierce, CAIN) later. 

The immediate alternative was simply far too inviting.

________

She called the fake Lieutenant back much later that afternoon after a welcome couple of hours of sleep in Lucifer’s California king-sized bed, lazily waking to find Lucifer curled around her, his head resting on her shoulder. I could do this forever, she thought with a pleased smile. 

He had been astonishing, there was no other word for it. At one moment, tender and sweet, with a touch so gentle it sent her somewhere past the orbit of Jupiter. At other times, they had feasted on each other with an urgent need she had never experienced before.

She groaned in true appreciation, wondering how she’d ever be able to walk again after nearly a whole day in bed with Lucifer. (Now that’s a problem I wouldn’t mind having every day, she thought.)

But it was time to deal with Cain. She nudged Lucifer, who grunted appreciatively and folded an arm around her, mumbling “you are rather insatiable, my dear Detective, not that I’m complaining….” then sat up as she slipped out of bed.

“I’ve got to deal with this, Lucifer,” looking back, she was sorely tempted to crawl back against him, world be damned. “I’ll just give him a quick call and see what it is that he wants.” She noted the sulky expression he gave her as he rolled over and pulled the covers over his shoulder.

OK, Decker, you can do this, she thought, as she punched Pierce’s number, wandering into the living room and plunking herself down on the mustard-coloured sofa, clutching Lucifer’s black silk robe around her. 

He picked up on the second ring. “I need to see you, Chloe,” Pierce’s voice was soft and persuasive (he couldn’t see the shudder that went through her).

“Look, I made a mistake, please, please meet me for dinner. After that, if you don’t want to see me, well, that’s fine. Your choice. But there’s something I need to say to you and it isn’t just that I’m sorry…….Will you meet me later?”

“Marcus,” she began, but he interrupted, adding “You do have to eat don’t you?”

“OK, I’ll meet you for dinner. At a restaurant, not your place--” (every detective nerve in her said ‘meet in a public place, just in case’ – she would never ignore THAT instinct).

“How about Italian? Angelo’s? Do you know it?”

“I do,” it was on the small side, but the food was excellent (everyone knew that she had a seldom-indulged weakness for pasta), busy neighbourhood, lots of people bustling about. Whenever she’d been there, the place had always been full, staff friendly and attentive.

“That sounds fine,” she told him, “I do love Italian food, I’m just not sure this is such a great idea after, well, you know……” her voice took on a woeful tone.

“I’m sorry for that, please just be there? 5:30 okay? “

“I’ll be there. Against my better judgment,” she added as she ended the call.

It was then she noticed Lucifer, clad in black silk pajama bottoms, leaning against the Assyrian wall that separated his living room and bedroom.

“Well done, detective!” he was grinning at her. “I think you struck just the right note of hopeful curiosity and sad woman scorned…..”

“Thank you, Mr. DeMille,” she shot back, “You’re still an ass……Shit, Lucifer, what time is it? I have to meet Pierce – Cain, sorry – at 5:30,” then looking down at herself, adding “I smell like you.…..I have to get in the shower – anyone within a mile would know.”

He burst out laughing at that. “You know where the shower is, luv. By all means, make yourself completely at home.” He waggled an eyebrow for the extra effect.

She shot him a look and headed for the master suite.

Eight shower heads. Eight damned shower heads, what I am supposed to do with that? She looked at the control panel and tried a tentative few, finally selecting the three that were overhead, rain-style, after a few minutes of experimentation.

It wasn’t much of a surprise, once the water had steamed the enormous shower sufficiently, when Lucifer slipped in quietly behind her, body quickly heated from the cascading water.

“Three heads? Shame on you, my dear. This shower cost a small fortune to install, it has some rather, um, remarkable qualities to it,” as he reached over her shoulder and adjusted the controls so that all eight heads worked to his satisfaction, finally pushing the play button that made them randomly rotate through a lazy sequence he particularly enjoyed. 

“Allow me to demonstrate…..”

__________

 

She found a parking spot less than a block from Angelo’s. She was running late, thanks to the far-longer-than-normal shower she had enjoyed with Lucifer. But she didn’t really mind. Ten minutes was not too long, just long enough to make the other party wonder if you’d even show up, not enough to be a clear insult.

She kept hearing the voice of one of her drama coaches, telling her “remember, feel the scene, use what’s inside…..” Wow, I guess I really did pay attention in those classes. The restaurant was not full to capacity, it being somewhat earlier than most diners would arrive, but there were three or four other occupied tables. She found Marcus at the one furthest from the door.

“Hey, Chloe,” he smiled as she took her seat. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d show up. I’m glad you did.”

“So, I’m here. What did you want to talk about?”

“First, I’m sorry that I ran out on you the other night….I got scared, it was getting so real. I just ran…..It was stupid, I know, and I’m truly sorry…….I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to you, if you’ll let me--”

“Wh-what are you talking about?” She watched him reaching into his pocket and gasped as he held something towards her. Yup, a diamond, a rather nice one at that, old-style square cut with an art deco setting, the girly-girl part of her at least could appreciate it.

He was reaching for her hand, but she pulled back and put them firmly at her sides.

“I can’t accept that, Marcus--” He started to protest but she continued. “This is too fast, it’s all happening way too fast! Look, you were the first man I’d been with since Dan and I split up – I think my hormones got the better of me, it had been so long, since, well…” (Good, she could feel a blush creeping up her neck, but it was Lucifer she was thinking of.) “I mean, really, we don’t know anything about each other--”

“I know enough right now and we could have the rest of our lives, to find out more -- if you’re willing to take the chance.” (Damn, this guy can sell it, she thought to herself, not the least bit tempted….) She kept looking down, as if upset, more truly so that he couldn’t see the little flame of anger that she knew had to show in her eyes.

“It’s too soon. My head is spinning,” she said quietly. “I have to think about my daughter, about how all this is going to affect her. She’s my priority, she has to be. I hope you can understand that.”

“Of course I can, and you’re right. I like Trixie, she seems like a sweet little girl. We can take it as slow as you like, if that’s what you really want--”

“That’s what I want, Marcus. Look, I’m not saying ‘no’ but I’m not saying ‘yes’ either. I need time to think it all out…..In fact,” she fixed him what she thought was a gentle and understanding look, “it occurs to me that I have some unused vacation time – I’d like to take next week off and do some serious thinking. Maybe even get out of town for a few days……”

“Of course you can have the time off, Espinoza can take your case load--”

“And Lucifer can help Dan if he needs it, those two actually get along, if you get past the constant insults…….”

“All right, Chloe, you’ve got a deal, take next week off. We haven’t been too busy, I’m sure we can get along without you for a few days. Now, shall we order?”

She had been hoping to slip away before dinner, but realized how hungry she was, and smiled to herself, thinking of all the ‘exercise’ that had made her so hungry.

Pierce caught the smile and asked what she wanted to order.

“The cannelloni is really wonderful here.” She hoped she could endure an hour of small talk with Cain as he placed their order, choosing the house lasagna for himself (no, I’ll think of him as Marcus while we’re eating, less chance of losing it, she reminded herself)….

All she could think of though was getting back to Lucifer’s warm embrace.

She made her excuses as soon as she could, telling Cain, “I know Trix is with Dan this weekend, but there are no groceries in the house and I haven’t cleaned in weeks. I have to do one of those ‘everything’ shoppings. And there’s a pile of laundry waiting--”

“I get it Decker,” he told her with a laugh. He didn’t seem to be acting and he had been appropriately contrite and apologetic, complete with warm looks and a soft voice. But she hadn’t forgotten he’d been around since the beginning of humankind itself and she was pretty sure he learned a good poker face long before the game was even invented.

She thought of what Lucifer had said about Cain having “been everywhere, done everything, eaten every kind of food, had every kind of sex” and now wanting to call it quits. It still made little sense to her, why he would want to die at all. No chance of going to heaven, so leaving the earth meant there was only one other option, and surely here was better than there. 

Even the Devil himself had left, so what was it that Cain was thinking in wanting to die in the first place?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more chapters to come (maybe 3). It's all written, just needs major editing. Will have the whole thing up by Friday or Saturday.


	3. Chapter 3

The fake Lieutenant was surprised to find Lucifer already there when he arrived at the precinct on Monday morning. The devil had parked himself at Chloe’s desk and was eyeing the small pile of case files on her desk, two or three of them open……

“What are you doing here so early? Not like you to turn up at this hour. And why are you dressed like that?”

Lucifer had eschewed his normal three-piece suit and tie in favour of a T-shirt, jeans and a leather jacket. He looked up and smiled at Cain.

“Oh, Chloe called last night and informed me she was taking the week off, and since I assume that means I’ll be working with Daniel, I thought a change of attire would be appropriate, don’t want to make poor Dan feel uncomfortable……”

“You seem to be in a good mood…….did Chloe tell you about our dinner?”

“Yes, she said you proposed to her.”

“And you don’t have a problem with that?”

“Chloe is grown woman,” he answered, “and a very smart one. Since she turned you down. Whatever or whoever she chooses to do, I’m good with that. As long as it’s what she wants,” as Pierce turned away, he added in a less friendly tone “and as long as whoever she chooses treats her with respect and does not intend to hurt her……”

Cain looked at him. “I really do love her, Lucifer. That’s the truth. I haven’t felt like this in millennia. And now that I know I can die, it seems to me that I can finally have a life with someone I care about, someone I can grow old with and die when the time comes. I hope you don’t have a problem with that.”

(Right, yeah, Lucifer thought darkly. You’ll bloody well die when the time comes, if I have anything to say about it…) But the devil kept a friendly air as he said “She’s her own woman and she can do as she wishes. But I do care about her a great deal, and if you hurt her again, you will answer to me. I hope YOU don’t have a problem with THAT.” He smiled brightly as the fake Lieutenant nodded.

“Fine. I get it……You’ll be working with Espinoza this week. Try to act professional, instead of going off in all directions at once……..”

_______

 

“Daniel!” The devil was beaming as Dan strolled up to Chloe’s desk, eyeballing Lucifer up and down in his uncharacteristic get up.

“Why are you dressed like Chloe?” he asked, the right side of his top lip curling in a way that said he really did not want to hear the answer.

“Oh this,” Lucifer said looking down at himself. “This was going to be part of my crime-fighting-duo outfit, you know, like Batman & Robin, Starsky & Hutch, Steed & Mrs. Peel--”

“How the hell did you find a jacket just like hers?” Dan said, realizing it was a near-exact copy of the brown leather jacket Chloe always wore, a motorcycle type in shape, collar and pockets, but made of butter-soft leather.

“You remember the restaurant arson case a couple of years back? When Chloe and I got caught in the fire?” Dan nodded. “Her old jacket, the tatty one, well, she put it over her head when I – when we made it out of the building, it got singed pretty badly by some falling debris. It seemed only fair to get her another one, so I had my personal tailor make her one to measure…….I felt kind of responsible for the old one getting ruined. She seems to like it….”

“She does,” Dan said “She always wears it when the weather is cool……that doesn’t explain how you’ve got the exact same one.”

“Please, Daniel, pay attention. I told you, I thought it would be fun to have matching Crime Fighting Duo outfits, you know, when we were ‘Chlucifer’--”

“What the fuck, dude. ‘Chlucifer’?”

“That was more or less her reaction too. She doesn’t have much of a sense of humour about things like that, unfortunately. I remembered this morning I had this at the back of my closet and thought it would be fun to wear it, since I’m going to be the Detective this week. Figured I’d get right in her head and play the case as she would….Come on, Daniel,” he beamed persuasively, “We’ll have a lot of fun working together!”

“What, wait, working together?”

“Oh, didn’t Chloe tell you? She’s taking a few days off, something about unused vacation time, spur of the moment and all that. Said she had some thinking to do….So it’s you and me this week! The Return of Douchifer!”

Dan couldn’t help the face palm. “You can drop that right now, Lucifer, we are not a Crime Fighting Duo! And you’re a lunatic. You don’t really even work here! I’m the Detective…..now, what have we got?”

Lucifer laughed as he handed Dan the case file. “Dog show murder, won’t that be fun?” He deliberately ignored the eye roll Dan gave him (just why does everyone do that around me? he wondered). 

Oh, yes, Daniel, you and I are going to have some fun on this case.

________

When the case had been solved, the arrests made, and they were on their way back to the precinct, Dan had to admit it that it had been fun playing Lucifer. 

He had even made an extra point of disappearing at unexpected moments and making random very bad jokes, because not only did it give Lucifer a taste of Chloe’s own frustrations, he was actually enjoying himself immensely. Annoying Chloe’s weird partner was perversely pleasurable and by the end of their investigations Dan could actually understand the appeal of doing the unexpected at inappropriate times. It was actually rather liberating, and he found himself able to quash down his cop sense about ignoring protocol and procedure.

Lucifer himself seemed to get right into channeling Chloe, he even used her little habit of tapping his right fingers on the steering wheel, an unconscious move that Chloe always made, and it had Dan laughing out loud…..

“What’s so funny, Daniel?” Lucifer had asked him.

“You. Channeling Chloe. Didn’t realize you paid such close attention to all her little gestures. Too bad you don’t have long hair…..”

“Then I could do this!” Lucifer laughed as he tucked an invisible strand of Chloe-hair behind one ear.

Dan roared with laughter, then said “You are happy she turned him down, aren’t you? Don’t think I’ve ever seen you in such a light mood since the day we met….”

Lucifer looked at him sideways for a moment, then smiled. “The Detective and I……”

“Chloe, her name is Chloe, Lucifer, not ‘The Detective’--”

“It’s a term of endearment, Dan.”

“She’s a lot more than her job.” The car had stopped for a red light.

“I know that, Daniel. She’s a devoted mother and a pretty good actress, as it turns out. She’s also someone that I care about, more than any other person I’ve ever met…..”

Dan was caught by surprise at the simple admission. He knew it was true, Lucifer wasn’t the best at hiding his emotional turmoil and Dan knew that Chloe dating Pierce had had her partner tied up in knots over the last few weeks. But something had changed, something had definitely changed.

“Lucifer! You and Chloe…? You told her!”

“How I felt? Yes, Daniel, I told her.” The light changed and he moved out into traffic. They were almost back to the station.

“When did this happen?”

“Luckily for me,” Lucifer answered with his wickedest smile, “the night before Pierce proposed to her.”

Much to his surprise, Dan Espinoza was actually glad for them. He knew that at one time Chloe had been head-over-heels for Lucifer and had been horribly hurt by his marriage to Candy. He still didn’t fathom how a man with so many women (and men) could not understand his own feelings about one particular woman, but he guessed that something truly horrible had happened to the guy a long time ago, something that made him run from commitment and closeness and real intimacy.

He gave Lucifer a fake arm punch and said “Good for you, man, I really am happy for you, for both of you…….Chloe is a terrific woman. I should know…..” (But Dan’s thoughts were on another wonderful woman, one that he very much wanted to get to know. At that moment, he made a decision that he hoped would change his own life……)

“Thanks, man,” he said to Lucifer, who looked confused, “you just helped me sort out a little problem of my own.” 

And I bet it has something to do with Charlotte Richards, Lucifer smiled to himself as he pulled into the precinct’s parking lot.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a short one, Chapter 5 will be up tomorrow, with one more to follow!

Chloe had enjoyed the first couple of days she had off. She and Lucifer had agreed that they would not been seen together for the duration of her ‘holiday’ and she did mostly what she had told Cain at their dinner (though in truth a couple of days later).

Her mum was back from a trip to Europe and Chloe had what she thought was a perfect idea.

Penny went along with it enthusiastically, once Chloe told her that she and Lucifer had finally expressed their feelings for one another. Penelope had nearly cried with happiness. The club owner was handsome and rich and the two of them obviously were attracted to each other. She wondered idly what had taken them so long to finally get together. (Kids, she thought to herself, shaking her head.)

She was a little taken aback by Chloe asking her to keep it all a secret though, but acquiesced when her daughter told her they were working on a very sensitive case, one that would put them both in real danger, something about a drug cartel and that it had to do with internal corruption in the Department and therefore no one could know anything.

“I can’t even tell you, mum, but I promise, when it’s all over you can go nuts, okay? I’ve got a big favour to ask though…..”

Penny had agreed readily when Chloe asked her to look after Trixie for a few days, even volunteered to stay at the apartment where access to her granddaughter’s school was far easier than from the beach house. She had positively glowed when Chloe asked to use the mountain cabin Penny had bought years ago when her acting money was flowing in.

“And if Maze shows up, mum, and she might or might not, this is really, really important -- please tell her I’ve gone to San Diego, okay? She can’t know about the cabin…….Promise me, will you?”

“Of course, honey, I promise!”

_________

Charlotte had to go to her old law firm later in the week, to sign off on a few files that had been her particular cases before she joined the DA’s office. She wouldn’t let anyone use her old office, Richards & Wheeler was her firm, after all, and her office was the finest. With Wheeler in jail, one of the younger partners had taken over the running of the firm and she recused herself from any discussion of current cases.

She liked her corner office, she had spent quite a few years of her working life there, but as she sat down and looked at the pile of files on her old desk, she was brought up short.

She took a sip of the coffee she’d brought from the shop on the ground floor and sat down, glaring at the pile.

Her mind immediately wandered to the wonderful night she’d spent with Dan a couple of days prior. She’d been at her new condo, drinking wine and wondering what to do about her old business, when he had burst in with his declaration to her.

It had taken her by surprise, as it turned out a very pleasant surprise. She didn’t remember sleeping with him while her body had been occupied by the Goddess of All Creation, but she knew she had and that Dan wanted her, even though she was Charlotte again and not the woman he had actually slept with.

But, hey, if the Goddess had found him appealing, there must be something rather special about him. And he had been kind to her and supportive as she thought she was spiralling into a nervous breakdown. That was certainly worth considering. And she was attracted to him, he was a good man, intelligent and kind. 

When he kissed her, she knew that it was the right thing to do and had not regretted it. Not for one cold midnight minute.

Her reverie was interrupted by the man himself and she greeted him with a bright smile, as he leaned over the desk to kiss her.

“I got your message you’d be here, thought you might like, um, a drink or something. By the way, what are you doing here? Isn’t it sort of a conflict of interest?”

“Well, maybe a bit, but these are old files not active ones. Wilson wanted me to go through them and sign off, but you know what? You’re right. I’m not actually coming back here, and I just made my mind up about that…so I’ll just get one of the juniors to--”

She was interrupted by the receptionist tapping lightly on the glass door, “Ms. Richards, there’s a gentleman here to see you. I told him you don’t work here any more, but he’s very insistent, says it’s really important and that you’ll want to see him.”

Charlotte was puzzled but nodded, as Dan got up to leave. “No, stay, please, until I find out what this is about. If this guy needs a lawyer, I’ll just tell him I’m no longer available, shouldn’t take long.”

When Dan turned around and saw who had walked in, his jaw nearly hit the floor.

“Ben Rivers? What on earth are you doing back in LA?”

“Right, Detective Espinoza, odd to find you here, but I’m glad you are,” he shook Dan’s hand, then turning to Charlotte said “I hear you’re working with the LAPD now – I’ve got something here that I think you’ll be wanting to see. It has to do with your new Lieutenant.”

He placed a huge briefcase, the accordion kind that lawyers carried files to court in, and it was obviously heavy, as he plunked it on Charlotte’s desk.

“I need someone in the DA’s office, someone not connected to Marcus Pierce, someone who will know what to do with this information.” He looked at them both, then plunged in.

“Marcus Pierce is a murdering bastard, crooked as the hind legs of ten dogs – at least eight people back in Chicago and who knows how many more out here. It’s taken me a long time to get this information, and it’s mostly circumstantial, but there’s some good stuff in these files. I want to get this asshole. Really bad. He’s all but ruined my life and he’s got some pretty heavy back up, including police officers from his old precinct and quite a few of the, shall we say, less savory members of the community….

“I couldn’t exactly walk into the precinct with him there, he’d have recognized me right away. I’m taking a big chance even being in LA, I’ve got no way of knowing how many eyes he has on the ground…”

Charlotte was grinning, though Dan looked a bit confused.

“Mr. Rivers,” she said, her eyes twinkling, as she held out her hand to the former cop-turned-bounty-hunter-turned-fugitive, “Have you EVER come to the right place!” (Amenadiel is going to love this, she thought with delicious malice.)

Dan added, “Well, I know one wild-ass bounty hunter that’ll be real happy to see you, if I’ve read her right.”

“NO,” Rivers nearly shouted. “You can’t let Maze know that I’m in town! She was the first one I thought of….I mean, I wouldn’t be alive and here now if you two hadn’t helped me out up in Whistler……

“When I got to town this morning, I tried calling Maze. Whatever number she gave me when we were in Canada is no longer in service. As I said, I couldn’t exactly walk into the precinct and start asking around, then I remembered something she told me, about working in some bar for a guy named Lucifer, knew it must be Lux, so I went over there and sat in the coffee shop across the street…..was hoping to see her and have a private word.

“I saw a ghost car pull up outside the club – trust me, I was a cop here, I know what LAPD uses,” this last directed at Dan. “Anyway, Maze got out. And I bet you can’t guess who was driving the car….”

“Marcus Pierce.” Charlotte said it with such certainty, only adding to Dan’s confusion.

“You got that one right…..If that woman is working with Pierce, then I’ve got a real problem. She’s a good hunter, best I’ve ever seen, and she can fight like Chuck Norris on his best day……she’s dangerous. I hope you can see why I’m asking both of you to keep your mouths shut around her, about all of this…..”

“Oh, puh-leeze!” Charlotte said, waving her hand at him. “I’m not a virgin at this stuff, you know, I’ve had some clients…..well, trust me, I get your point.”

Rivers looked at both of them, then asked Dan, “You believe me, don’t you?”

“I know you were looking for the people that framed you, Martinez was busted. I thought that was the end of it…..”

“No, it wasn’t. And I told Maze then that he was working for someone, someone who would never stop hunting me. Someone with some powerful friends. I didn’t know it at the time, but that someone is your Lieutenant. I’ve had to call in every favour I ever had from anyone to get some of this stuff……It shows a clear pattern, and, even though it is mostly circumstantial, there’s someone connected to every one of the happenings in that big file.”

“And I’m thinking that someone might be Marcus?” Charlotte was grinning from ear to ear, much like a very happy dragon that was about to incinerate something.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I'd post all the rest of this little fic today, but the last chapter got so long I had to split it in two. Still working a few kinks out of the last few scenes, but the final chapter will be up tomorrow. I'd have done it this evening, but it's a gorgeous sunny day here and a few pints on the deck of our local are proving way too tempting!

Just as Chloe had said she would, Maze turned up at the apartment the day after she had left, fully expecting her to be there, since her old beater was parked in its usual spot.

She was surprised when it was Penelope Decker that opened the door. “Oh hi, Maze, Chloe said you might drop by. Please, come in.”

The demon saw Trixie sitting at the counter in the kitchen and smiled widely. When the child caught sight of her, she got up and ran to her room, slamming the sliding the door behind her.

Penelope shrugged apologetically as Maze asked “Is Chloe here? Her car is outside….”

“Oh, yeah,” Penny said, “She used a rental for her drive, she said the transmission in hers was acting up……”

“Her drive?” Maze asked. “Do you know where she’s gone? I’ve been trying to reach her, but her phone just goes straight to voicemail.”

“Her phone is here,” Penny said. “Not like her to leave it, but she’s been under a bit of stress lately. Said she really needed to get away and think things over.”

That sounded promising. Maybe thinking of Cain’s proposal. Good. Very good.

“I don’t suppose you know where she went?”

“Well, she said something about San Diego. She has some friends there. She did say she’d call me tonight. I can ask her to get in touch if you’d like, since, well, I don’t have her number at the moment. But, you used to be her roommate, so she’ll have yours--”

“No, that’s okay,” Maze told her with a sweet smile. “If she needs time to think, she needs time to think. I’m good with that…..

“Thanks anyway,” she added cheerfully as she headed out the door. Not that easy, Decker. I’ll find you. She smiled to herself.

_________

Chloe had thought it was ridiculous that Lucifer insisted she leave her phone behind and user a burner phone instead, until he pointed out, as she should have realized, that there was GPS on her phone, and in her car. He insisted she get a rental. At least if Cain tried to track her, he couldn’t use any modern technology.

“There’s nothing wrong in taking a few precautions,” Lucifer told her, “and I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist.” Chloe saw the sense of it and readily agreed, mentally kicking herself for not thinking of it first. Maybe Lucifer had learned a little something about caution at last. 

She had shown him where the cabin was and he had promised to join her there as soon as he and Dan had wrapped up their case.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be using the Corvette,” he told her with a wink. Maze can find that bloody car as easily as she can find me, he thought with a certain degree of satisfaction. I’ll just leave you at Lux, he thought with only a slight trace of regret….

________

 

Cain sat at his desk at the precinct, scratching his right arm and cursing inwardly. The blasted mark was back, at least coming back, and it sent him into a fury. The outer circle had appeared first, and damned if it didn’t itch like ten thousand mosquito bites. But when the raised centre appeared once more, a tiny hooked shape that stood out like a ridge, he knew that whatever feelings Chloe had for him were gone. Completely gone.

He knew human women and he knew that once their feelings were engaged they rarely could turn them off that quickly.

It had to be Lucifer.

Yet the devil had been at the precinct all week, indeed, he’d even stayed after hours to do the paperwork that Chloe usually finished up. For once he had seemed actually interested in the work, which was completely uncharacteristic of the ultra hedonist.

Glancing toward the detectives’ bull pen, he saw Lucifer standing up with a satisfied smirk on his face, as he closed a case file and plopped it into the out basket. He no longer sported his ‘Chloe gear’ and was back to his de rigeur three-piece suit.

He met Lucifer in main reception. “I hate to say this, Lucifer, but good work this week.”

“Why thank you, Lieutenant,” he replied with extra emphasis on the title. “I never did understand how Chloe could stomach doing the tedious things, but, since I acted her part this week, thought I’d give it a go – turned out it really wasn’t as bad as I thought.

“But it’s the weekend now, time for some fun.”

“Party at Lux?” Cain asked.

“Always, Marcus,” again another potent emphasis on the name, “A private party with three or four friends,” and he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, nodding at a couple of the officers coming off duty as he left the building.

Chloe was still apparently in San Diego, according to the brief conversation he’d had with her mother this morning. And it seemed Lucifer would be up to his usual antics on a Friday night. He walked back up to his office and punched Maze’s number.

_________

Lucifer hoped his cheery professional demeanour was enough to put Cain off. Now for the final preparations before he could join Chloe. At the thought of her, he felt a deep ache. It had been difficult being without her for the week. He couldn’t stop his mind from conjuring an image of his body against hers……….

Soon, luv, soon, he thought with a smile, as he turned the Corvette into his private parking area below Lux, into the spot closest to the elevator that went up to the penthouse. 

After a quick word with his club manager, Andre, in Lux itself, he went up to the penthouse to change. There was a live band on stage tonight and the place would be more packed than usual. When he had made his way back to the underground lot, he locked off the elevator access with the only key in existence and headed almost automatically for the Corvette. Chiding himself, he left it in its accustomed spot and looked around the garage. 

Which one? Ah, there it was. A maroon-coloured 1959 Mercedes, beautiful to drive, in absolutely mint condition, tuned up less than two months ago and a full tank on top of it. Best of all, there were no electronics and a manual transmission so he could really enjoy the highway. He smiled to himself as he pulled out of the underground lot and into traffic.

He would have felt far less happy if he’d known that minutes later Maze had slipped into the underground lot and noted the Corvette parked in its usual spot. She made her way to the elevator, satisfied that Lucifer was either in the club or his apartments, and punched the call button, surprised that nothing happened.

He’d locked it off. He never locked it off, unless he really wanted privacy. Without the lift, there was no way to get to the top three floors of the building, unless it involved climbing the outer shell, not something that Maze relished. Even though the climb would have been nothing to her, she didn’t like heights, never had for some reason she did not understand.

Well, at least I know he’s here, she mused, then a faint hint of something caught her attention. A hint of Lucifer’s signature cologne. It was fresh.

Maze smiled.

___________

 

Dan and Charlotte had spent hours pouring over the material that Ben Rivers had given them. The three of them were at Charlotte’s condo, which seemed the safest place to be.

There were two laptops and quite a number of flash drives amongst the papers, records of cases from Chicago, cases that had been abandoned, notes of disappearing evidence, perps that somehow had walked scot-free, suspects that had mysteriously vanished….

It was a daunting task.

Dan’s face suddenly brightened and he planted a palm on his forehead, saying “Why didn’t I think of this before? Martinez. He’s a dirty cop in jail, he can’t be having much fun these days…….If he’ll give up Pierce, then we’ve got a leg up with all this stuff. I’m going to go visit him in his lonely prison cell,” then looking at Ben, “and you’re coming with me.”

“Not sure that’s really the greatest idea there, sparky,” Ben looked at him.

Dan was grinning. “Don’t worry, I have an idea.”

_______

It didn’t take Espinoza long at the precinct to find the right guy, a junior officer very close in height and build to Ben Rivers and, as it turned out, someone Dan had been chummy with in the last year, the two meeting for beers once in awhile. He was a good guy.

When Dan made his unusual request, Mike just said “what’s in it for me?”

“Tequilas at The Paddock?”

“You’re on there, Danny boy!”

__________

“It’s been a long time since I had one of these on, Ben told him after donning Mike’s spare uniform. The fit was almost perfect, apart from the cap, which was slightly too large, but it would do nicely for their purposes.

“I even have the shades,” Ben said, waving a pair of classic cop aviators.

Dan and Charlotte both laughed. It was a risk. But Ben Rivers had been a cop once and today he was Mike Stevens, three-year vet of the LAPD.

“Don’t suppose you’ve included a gun with this outfit?” He asked hopefully.

“No problem, you can use my spare,” Dan told him with a grin.

________

They told the warden they needed to see Martinez for some possible information on a cold case that occurred under his watch, when he was still a ‘good’ cop. Permission granted, they waited in one of the visitors’ rooms.

Martinez recognized Dan right away but paid little heed to the uniform that was with him. When Dan dismissed the guard and the door had closed behind him, Ben turned around, and Martinez’s face went deathly white.

“Hey, bro, enjoying prison life?” 

______

 

It had taken Maze a long time to pick up the scent, once she left Lux, longer than usual. Then again, Lucifer had never tried to mask himself from her before. After all, she had taken an Oath to protect him, knowing where he was or being able to find him within a few hours was obviously necessary in fulfilling that Oath. 

Maze had gone to San Diego on a quick day trip, but had not been able to find Chloe, not the way she could find Lucifer. She must have sequestered herself at some friend’s place and that did match what her mother had said about her needing ‘quiet time’ to make an important decision.

Maze wanted to vomit. Stupid humans. That sob story of Cain being ‘in love’ with Chloe, wanting to ‘grow old with her’, turned the demon’s stomach. Even an immortal human still fell for it. Fuck them. If things worked according to plan, she and Lucifer would soon be home and she could be herself again, not this fake identity she’d built to live topside……..

She had been able to follow Lucifer to Barstow, where she found the Mercedes in the lot of a rather average-looking motel.

And then the trail had gone completely cold. She knew he had been here, but the scent and sense of him had abruptly vanished and this did puzzle her.

She had knocked back a couple of drinks in the nearest local and thought about what to do. Then it hit her. She remembered Chloe once saying her mother had a cabin somewhere near Big Bear Lake on the north side of the long lake, above the cottages and hotels that dotted the water’s perimeter. 

Maze had a deep gut feeling that was where Lucifer was going. And if he was headed to her mother’s cabin, there was a good chance that Chloe would be with him. No wonder I couldn’t find you in San Diego, human. She smiled to herself.

Throwing some money on the counter, she got into her car and took the 18 south in the direction of Big Bear Lake.

It was near twilight when she got to one of the sprawling cabin-style hotels that dotted the lake and headed inside to the desk. An older man, perhaps in his early sixties, sat at the desk and perked up noticeably on seeing her stroll in. She decided to use her considerable charms on him and affected what she thought was a perfect approach.

“Oh hello, sir, do you think you could help me?” she asked sweetly, trying to sound just a little worried.

“I’d be happy to help you if I can,” the man answered, “you looking for a place to stay?”

“Well, actually, I am,” she turned on the charm. “My roommate in LA, her mum has a cabin up here somewhere, but I’m such a ditz I must’ve left the address at home……thing is, she invited me up for the weekend and I wasn’t sure I could get the time off work, so she’s already up here. But she forgot her cel, so I can’t even call. Her name is Chloe, Chloe Decker? Her mum is Penelope Decker, used to be an actress?” she added tentatively.

“Ah, Penny Decker, yes, I actually know her, she comes in from time to time when she’s up at the cabin. It’s up the old Lakeview Road……look, here, I can show you on this map. It’s only about 10 minutes from here…….”

Maze gave him a bright smile. Got ya, Decker. “Oh, thank you so much,” she purred at the hostler, “Say, there wouldn’t happen to be a bar in this hotel would there?”

She would have a few drinks and wait until nightfall. Oh yeah, Ye Olde Surprise Visit. That would do nicely.

_________

Once it had been dark for a couple of hours, the demon slipped out of the hotel bar and drove the few miles to the foot of Lakeview Road. She pulled off to the side of the main road and left the car, deciding a stealthy approach on foot was best for her purposes.

She could feel Lucifer, he was somewhere nearby. So, he had come up here with Decker, and had been plenty sly about it…..

Mazikeen assumed her demon form, better able to blend into the shadows that way. The cabin was a few hundred metres further up the hill. Ah, yes, there it was. 

She scanned the area, saw the vehicle parked in the short driveway not too far from the road. Obviously a rental. There was definitely someone in the cabin. No lights were on, but she could see flickering candlelight and, once she was close enough, a fine blaze going in the fireplace. It was a log cabin, huge glass windows in the front looking out onto a large deck, no doubt placed for a prime view of the lake that lay below.

Maze crept quietly until she was against the side of the building just at the end of the deck, then stayed silently listening for a few minutes before creeping below the sill of one of the huge windows. When she was sure that nothing stirred, she peered cautiously over the edge.

And there they were, apparently asleep in front of the roaring fire, remains of a meal on the table along with two empty wine glasses. They’d obviously pulled the cushions off the couch, which were now strewn beneath them.

But it was Lucifer’s great white wings that stunned her, one stretched out to his right, glowing in the firelight, the other curled across Chloe’s sleeping form, some sort of soft throw blanket pulled halfway up both of them. Chloe lay nestled against him, one arm across his chest, her head resting in the crook of his shoulder. And judging by the clothes strewn across the remains of the couch, they were both naked.

So, you’ve told her, have you……….and you’ve had her as well. Maze felt a flash of rage. 

Lucifer would never want to leave now, not when he’d finally had his precious damned Chloe. Fuck. No wonder Cain’s mark was coming back. Damn, blasted damn. The wedge Cain had driven between them had obviously only brought them closer together. Much closer. Damn that human.

She realized with a start that Lucifer must have flown here from Barstow, which was very out of character. The devil supposedly hated his wings. As far as she knew, he had never used them on earth. After all, she’d cut off the original pair the first few days they had arrived here, and she knew full well he had cut off the ones that had suddenly appeared in the desert, and possibly even those that grew back after that. 

But now he was using them. He must’ve realized that he was impossible to track while airborne….

She watched them for a few moments, then ducked below the window quickly as Chloe stirred. She heard Lucifer’s voice, a satisfied “oh, that was lovely” barely audible, a giggle from Chloe. 

Maze waited a moment before chancing another look, only to see them, lips locked together, as they sat by the fire, Lucifer gently wrapping his great wings around them both before they sank back against the pillows. 

It shocked her. In all the millennia they had known each other, Lucifer had never been in his winged form when having sex. Not once. Not with anyone. Not even with her. And she had known him longest and shared his bed more often than anyone else…..

She had to get back to LA and discuss this development with Cain. It was most definitely time for a new plan.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is, folks. Hope you like it.

“Oh, he sang like the proverbial canary,” Dan said with a laugh when he and Ben met up with Charlotte, this time at Dan’s apartment. 

Charlotte had brought Rivers’ street clothes with her, as well as the treasure trove of info that Ben had given them.

“He named Marcus as the guy who ordered him to kill those two kids. In fact, as soon as we mentioned Pierce’s name--”

“And made it clear we were going to take him down--” Ben interjected.

“--he got surprisingly cooperative. I might have led him to believe we could get him transferred to a rich-guy jail.” Charlotte glared at him. It would only mean more finagling. “But he confirmed he took his orders from Pierce directly.”

“And that, my dear detective Dan,” Charlotte purred, “means all this” (gesturing at the pile on Dan’s coffee table) “becomes admissible…….well, at least in terms of the investigation.”

“I don’t really care how we get him,” Ben added, “As long as we get him.”

Charlotte looked at the two of them with a large smile. “I think you boys deserve a drink!”

_______

 

None of them knew of the call to Pierce from the prison. “Espinoza,” he said, “really, and officer Stevens, you say….

“No, I didn’t send them. Time to stop this. Get it done.”

_______

 

After a few shots of vodka, some Chinese take-out and now some after-dinner beers, the three of them were feeling pretty good.

“I’ve got a contact at the prison,” Charlotte told them and at Dan’s raised eyebrow she added “Some of my former clients were ‘allegedly’ interested in, well, certain ‘goings-on’…….didn’t give up my contacts when I switched sides, no real sense in that,” with a laugh.

Her phone rang. When she saw the number, she jumped to her feet, mood suddenly on high alert. 

“I see. Okay.” When she ended the call, her eyes told the two men that something was very wrong.

“That was one of my, er, contacts. Martinez supposedly got into a fight in the prison cafeteria. Shiv to the chest. He didn’t survive.”

Ben’s face fell. She couldn’t fathom why Dan was smiling. Without Martinez, all they had was circumstantial. Even though it was a lot of circumstantial, it wasn’t enough to nail Pierce.

Dan reached into his pocket, looked at them, clearly triumphant, and said “Then I guess it’s a good thing I have this.”

What he waved in his hand was an old Dictaphone unit, the kind that used miniature tapes. Dan had picked it up for $5 at a yard sale and early on in his detective career had used it to record middle-of-the-night thoughts on cases, when he was too bone-tired to get up and write them down, long before the computers that everyone now relied on. It had served him well in the early days, and it worked as well as a wire when you were sitting close enough.

“I had a bit of an inspiration when I was at the precinct borrowing the uniform, thought I’d just buy us a little insurance. And this little sweetie was still in my locker, all I had to do was pop in couple of double-A’s…”

Charlotte smiled warmly. “Hmm, let’s hear it, Dan. It might just qualify as a death-bed confession……and those, as we all know, have to be accepted by the court.”

“Good save, my friend,” Ben said, slapping Dan on the back as he hit ‘play’ on the old machine.

___________

Chloe and Lucifer made a point of returning to Los Angeles separately after two sweet days of complete privacy in the mountain cabin, the detective to her home and Lucifer to his penthouse.

Trixie was overjoyed to see her mother, as was Penny. “Did you enjoy yourself, honey?”

To which Chloe flushed slightly, “Yes, mom, it was lovely up at the cabin,” giving her mother a keep-it-between-us look. “I’m really not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow….”

“You mean you actually weren’t working with your partner while you were away?” Penny asked with a knowing smile.

“No, mum, we weren’t working,” she answered, feeling the blush crawling up her cheeks, then turning to her daughter, “How about you get ready for bed, monkey, you’ve got school tomorrow. Did you have fun with grandma while I was gone?”

Penny was grinning as Chloe took Trixie to her room, the child chattering a mile-a-minute about the things they’d done over the past few days. Good for you, sweetheart, she thought to herself.

______

Chloe had barely had time to take a sip of her second coffee when Pierce appeared beside her desk.

“It’s a gruesome one,” he told her, handing her the address “Prepare yourself…….. Where’s Lucifer?”

“Oh, you know him,” she said offhandedly, “Monday is not his favourite morning of the week…I’ll call him and just pick him up on the way to the crime scene.”

“Lopez is already there,” he told her, and I’ll send Dan along, if he ever decides to show up. There are four vics, and two of them are kids. Brace yourself.”

“I’m on it,” she said, grabbing her keys and hitting Lucifer’s number as she ran out to her car.

Pierce smiled to himself. He knew Maze had done her part. Now he just had to close the net…….

Lucifer and Chloe arrived at the modest ranch-style home to find the Forensics van in the driveway and officers taping off the yard, little plastic triangles placed on what were potential evidence spots.

Ella looked up from the body that lay face down in a shocking amount of blood. “Stabbing, obviously,” she said, her voice wavering. As she looked up at Chloe, her eyes filled with tears. “This poor guy isn’t the only victim. There’s a woman upstairs, and two little girls……” 

“Do we know the identity of the vics? Did you find the weapon?”

Ella struggled to get back full control and held up an evidence bag. “The knife was sticking out of this poor guy’s back….there’s bloody footprints everywhere…….whoever did this was particularly vicious…….” She nodded at the photographer who had been documenting the scene, as her assistant opened a body bag beside the bloody corpse.

When she turned him over, Lucifer and Chloe both gasped in genuine shock. The dead man was Lux’s bar manager, Andre Thibault. 

_________

 

Lucifer could feel a cold rage beginning deep in his gut. He had recognized the knife in the evidence bag. It was one of his bar knives, no doubt the very one he had used to stab Pierce in the chest when he became certain of the man’s true identity.

And he had no doubt that the bloody footprints throughout the house would be a perfect match for his Louboutin’s. Bloody hell, no wonder I couldn’t find the buggers this morning. He had simply cursed his own absentmindedness and opted for one of the dozen other pairs in his closet.

Maze. Bloody Maze. She must have somehow got into the penthouse.

When Dan arrived at the scene, he took both of them aside. “Lucifer,” he whispered urgently. “Pierce has two cops executing a search warrant at Lux – what the hell are they looking for?”

“My Louboutin’s, the ones with the red soles. I’m afraid they are conveniently going to match all these bloody foot prints….”

“Pierce.” All three of them said it at once.

Dan motioned for them to go outside. Ella was busy directing the forensics team and doing a last visual check of the place before sending the ambos off to the morgue and the evidence to her lab.

Once they were out of earshot of everyone, Dan told them, “Charlotte and I have been working on some stuff……It looks like our Lieutenant is one pretty bad dude. You remember Ben Rivers?”

“The one Maze went hunting?”

“Yeah, Lucifer, that guy. Long and short, turns out it was Pierce who set him up, Pierce who ordered Martinez to kill the two kids Rivers was arrested for, Pierce who’s been running some sort of criminal organization…..”

Lucifer looked at him, “And Pierce seems to be making a very good attempt to frame me for these murders…..”

“Why would he want to frame you, Luc--” Then looking Chloe with the sudden realization, “Oh. That’s a helluva way to get rid of the cat…..And it isn’t going to work. We’ve got Martinez’s testimony on tape……the one I made a couple of hours before he got stabbed to death in the prison cafeteria,” he added. “Charlotte’s been working around the clock on the legal stuff. In fact, she and your brother are searching Pierce’s place right now,” he grinned at Lucifer. “Ben told us Pierce has files on all of us……we searched his office and got nada.”

“So you decided to break into his house?” Lucifer was chuckling. “I told you that breaking rules can be fun, didn’t I, Daniel!?”

“This has gone far enough.” Chloe’s face was determined. “Let’s go get this evil sonofabitch before he hurts anyone else.”

“You two go on ahead,” Dan told them. “I’m going to ride back with Ella, make sure Pierce is still there. I’ll call you from the precinct….” They both nodded.

________

Dan and Ella took his car back to the station, and saw Pierce leaving on his motorcycle as they arrived. As soon as they’d parked, he punched Chloe’s number and gave the pair a heads up that they’d soon have company.

“I’m on my way,” he told them, “I’m just going to swing by my place and pick up a friend. I promised him he could be there for the takedown.”

Lucifer and Chloe had found Charlotte and Amenadiel inside Pierce’s hillside retreat. They were in the midst of ransacking a credenza on the upper floor of the house, stacking files as quickly as they could. 

Amenadiel stood up as they entered and hugged his brother, surprised that Lucifer returned the embrace. “What have you found, bro?” Lucifer asked him.

“Look at all this stuff, Luci. There’s files on all of us, both of you, me, Maze, mum… even Dan and Trixie….”

“We haven’t had time to look through it,” Charlotte said, “we just wanted to get it all and get out of here….”

“Splendid,” Lucifer told them. “Pierce is on his way, I’d say about 20 minutes out. Get these someplace safe. We can all have a drink later and look through them. Chloe and I will deal with Pierce,” as they both bent to grab a stack of the files and help carry them out to Charlotte’s car. 

When the last of the piles were in place, Chloe and Lucifer went back upstairs, as his brother and the lawyer drove off down the hillside.

“I get the feeling we won’t have to wait too long. Perhaps we should have a drink while we wait?” He twisted just out of reach before Chloe could punch his arm.

They heard the sound of the motorcycle moments before the door opened and Pierce took the stairs to the open living area two at a time, cursing as he saw the empty credenza.

“Missing something?” Lucifer’s voice was calm and quiet. Pierce whirled around, his weapon drawn, but Chloe already had her gun aimed for his head.

“Drop it, Marcus!” She yelled. But his gun remained leveled at Lucifer’s chest.

“You’ve ruined everything!” he screamed at Lucifer. “She LOVED me! I was FINALLY going to have a life with someone I love…….But you had to ruin it, and now I’m fucking stuck here!”

None of them noticed Maze slink up the steps.

Chloe thought she would at least try and reason with him. “I’ve been in love with Lucifer all along Marcus--”

“But he is the Devil, Chloe, you can’t love him,” his voice had a nasty edge to it. 

“Sorry to burst your bubble,” she said derisively, “but there really is no contest.”

“You’re more of an idiot than I’ve been all this time, you clueless prat,” Lucifer spat at him, “You had it wrong – it wasn’t Chloe’s love that removed your mark. It was you loving HER. Don’t you get it? YOU fell in love with her and that is why the mark disappeared. But you couldn’t keep it up for more than a few weeks, could you? As soon as Chloe said no to you, you reverted to your real self, the rotten slimy murderer you’ve been since the dawn of humanity…….”

Cain was laughing now, a slight edge of hysteria in his voice. “Well, maybe so,” he yelled at them. “But you can still die when she’s around…… I’ll kill you for resisting arrest for the murder of your barman and his family – oh, and poor Chloe will somehow manage to get killed in the crossfire….”

But a commanding voice made them all turn to the staircase to see Dan, gun drawn, Ben Rivers behind him on the step. “PUT. THE. GUN. DOWN.”

Cain only laughed and fired a quick shot as he spun around, the slug hitting Rivers in the chest. 

Dan fired, hitting Cain in the knee, but he did not go down. Maze had run to the fallen Rivers with a shriek of anger as he fell backwards down the steps with the force of the impact. 

Cain had swung around and fired at Lucifer, as Chloe shot back. He took the bullet in his arm but still did not drop his weapon.

Lucifer stood there very quietly and when Cain fired again, he did not move. Instead, he simply closed his eyes and in a instant was wrapped in a cocoon of white feathers. 

Dan actually rubbed his eyes, as he saw the bullet merely glance off the shroud of feathers and ricochet against the wall.

The air had suddenly become thick and very hard to breathe. When Lucifer opened his eyes, they twirled with red fire. One wing flashed towards Cain and his gun went flying across the room. With the other wing he picked Cain up by the neck and held him against the wall.

Dan’s Catholic upbringing told him this couldn’t be happening, Lucifer had fucking wings. But his eyes were the Devil’s eyes……

“I’d let Daniel here arrest you,” Lucifer drawled, his voice oily and terrifying, his face only slightly less so. “But that really wouldn’t be good enough now, would it?” he spat.

He hit the floor with the tip of his right wing and a slow roar began in the air around them, growing louder and louder as a strange wind began to swirl through the room. 

Dan couldn’t move in his shock, barely feeling Maze sweep past him, her hands and clothes covered in blood.

The floor began to smoke and bubble as the rift formed beneath Lucifer’s wing and widened until it became a yawning hole, flames belching up from it. There was an awful smell in the air. It was the smell of brimstone.

“You’ve killed and you’ve killed and you’ve kept on killing for thousands of years. It’s time to end this, once and for all.” He tightened his grasp on Cain’s throat as the immortal began to choke, his face reddening as he struggled to breathe.

“ANDRE WAS A GOOD MAN,” Lucifer screamed at him. “He was my friend. You SLAUGHTERED them, without mercy, without a thought. And they bloody well call ME a monster!

“So I’m going to send you where the real monsters go.”

“You can’t kill me, Lucifer--”

“Oh, no, Cain. I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to send you to meet your fate in your living human body.” He moved the struggling man over the open rift.

“I’m told Hell is in need of a new ruler,” he said with malicious brightness. “You can have my old job,” as he let go. They could hear the screaming as Cain dropped and dropped through the interdimensional hole to meet his final fate.

“And YOU,” Lucifer said, turning his terrible gaze on the demon that had once been his closest ally. “I’m giving you a choice, Mazikeen. Make it now because I’m not sure how long I can hold this door open. You want to go home, well, there’s your chance…..

“But I’m afraid I won’t be joining you.”

Chloe looked at Maze, her eyes filled with pity. The demon had tears streaming down her face, as she looked from the Pit to Lucifer and back again. She seemed unable to speak, then simply said “Ben’s dead,” before she jumped into the boiling maw of fire.

Lucifer lifted his wing and just like that the floor resumed its shape and the air became light and breathable once again. Lucifer crumpled to the floor, the wings vanishing, and remained on his hands and knees, gasping for breath as Chloe’s arms went around him.

She was crying. “Are you all right? Oh, Lucifer, please!”

“Fine, luv,” he said through hard breaths, then managed to stand, somewhat wobbly. He was just Lucifer again.

Dan was still standing frozen to the spot at the top of the stairs, his shocked mind barely able to process what he had just witnessed, then he suddenly managed to snap back into normal form, as he said to them “You both have some explaining to do, you know that, don’t you?”

Then he remembered poor Ben and the three of them rushed to where the man lay at the foot of the stairs, blood pooled around him.

Dan got to him first and instinctively put a hand to Ben’s throat. Surprised, he felt the tiniest faint thread of a pulse and yelled “Call an ambo, Chloe! I think he’s still alive.”

“That won’t be necessary, Daniel,” Lucifer said quietly and once again unfurled his glorious wings.

Dan found himself slipping back into shock as Lucifer plucked a long white feather and held it against the wound on Ben Rivers’ chest, then stepped back as the feather began to glow…..

“This shouldn’t take very long.” Lucifer’s voice was almost a whisper.

By the time Ben sat up with a deep gasp, Lucifer’s wings had vanished again, and he held a hand out to help the man to his feet.

Dan had once again recovered his composure.

“What I want to know is how the fuck we’re going to explain all this…”

Lucifer laughed out loud. “Don’t worry, Daniel, we’ll figure something out. We always do.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the silver flask, took a deep swig and passed it to the man he had just brought back from the brink of death.

Rivers took a grateful pull and handed the flask to Dan.

“Well, normally I wouldn’t,” Espinoza said as he reached out for it, “but, today I think I’m going to get really drunk.”

Lucifer laughed again and pulled Chloe to him, planting a brief kiss on her lips.

“It’s over now,” he whispered, then looking around “Blast. Who’s going to clean up this bloody mess?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to send my apologies to the wonderful Maze. I hope the show redeems her, because I do love her character (until she turned really bad). Hope you all enjoy the last 2 episodes of Season 3.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!


End file.
